Status indicators have been used on electrical devices for many years and are well known in the art. Status indicators provide feedback and other useful information to the users of electrical devices. Typically, the status indicator is an analog meter, light emitting diode (LED), or an audible alarm, etc. that indicates certain operating conditions of the electrical device. For example, many computer peripherals include an LED to indicate that the peripheral is powered ON, transferring data, or encountering an error.
By necessity, visual status indicators, such as meters and LEDs are located on the device such that they are clearly visible to the user, otherwise they would fail to serve their intended purpose. Typically, the meter or LED is provided on a face or other exposed portion of the electronic device. This has the disadvantage of requiring additional electrical connections, sockets, etc. at the point where the indicator is to be mounted to the device, which may increase the complexity of the wiring and/or costs.
A solution to this problem is to use a light pipe. Light pipes are well known in the art and are used when it is desirable to mount a light source (e.g., LED) on a printed circuit board, but it is necessary to see the light from the LED at a location that is remote from the LED. The light pipe transmits the light from the remote LED to the viewing location. Light pipes are also well known in the art and are formed from an extruded material such as plastic to provide a path for light. One such solution is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,345,367, to Pierce et al., which illustrates a light pipe for use in a PC Card that guides light from an internal LED to the periphery of the PC Card.
While using a light pipe reduces the complexity of the electrical device by reducing the additional electrical connections necessary to provide the status indicator, it still has the disadvantage of requiring additional space on the exposed portion of the device. While this is generally not a problem with larger devices, it becomes an important consideration with smaller electronic devices, such as external disk drives, portable radios, etc., where it is desirable to reduce the size of the devices.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,743,382, to Luo, illustrates a different prior art solution to the aforementioned problem. Luo discloses a switch having a displaying function, that includes a neon light to indicate the status (e.g., ON/OFF) of the switch. To provide this function, the switch includes a two-piece housing, resilient elements, a spring, and a plurality of contacts. While this is an improvement over providing a separate switch and indicator, the structure disclosed by Luo is fairly complicated and is not well suited for use in small electronic devices. Further Luo fails to address the problem of the additional complexity required to provide the status indicator external of the device.
While devices such as the Pierce et al. and Luo serve the purpose of providing a status indicator on an electrical device, they fail to provide a status indicator having a reduced complexity that also reduces the space required by incorporating the status indicator into a switch or other movable element external to the device. In particular, the light pipe of Pierce et al. is rigidly mounted within the PC Card, and is not operably movable. The status indicator of Luo is very complex and requires electrical contacts, which may fail over time.
In view of the above, there is a need for simple status indicator that is incorporated into a movable element external to the electrical device. Preferably, the status indicator is incorporated into a movable element that is required for normal operation of the device, such as an ON/OFF switch, eject button, or other. The present invention seeks to solve the aforementioned need by providing a simple status indicator within a required button of an electronic disk drive in order to conserve space and increase reliability of the indicator.